


James' Law of Diminishing Returns

by Geonn



Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-04
Updated: 2010-05-04
Packaged: 2017-10-09 07:31:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/84559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geonn/pseuds/Geonn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lieutenant James considers the lack of options on <i>Destiny</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	James' Law of Diminishing Returns

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't decide whether to refer to TJ as TJ or Tamara. I decided, as a PWP, that Tamara made more sense. Plus, I don't think that James' first name has ever been said out loud, but it's how she's credited on all her episodes so I decided that was canon enough for me. ~g~

Vanessa lay in bed and wondered about insignificant things. Did the Ancients find room temperature to be comfortable, or had Eli changed the environmental controls? Did they prefer to travel in spartan quarters, or had all their decorations been removed when they left the ship? They hadn't seen any paintings or personal touches in any of the rooms they had explored. Maybe the Ancients were just so focused on travel they didn't have time for looking at pictures or reading books or having sex.

She cursed herself. Her thoughts kept circling back. She scratched her forehead, pushed the pillow up against the headboard, and looked out the window. She liked the soothing blue lights washing past the... what was it, glass? No, glass wouldn't be strong enough. It had to be some kind of polymer. Vanessa pressed her lips together and covered her face with the pillow. Either she could think about sex or she could bore herself thinking about polymers. It had never been this bad before, and it was about to drive her crazy.

Vanessa lost her virginity when she was sixteen to a boy at her high school. He was mostly obsessed with her breasts, but he got the job done. Her next two lovers were much the same; quick gropes in the back of a car which usually ended shortly after they got her bra off. She had gotten turned off by the idea of teenage boys as potential lovers when she met Lisa. After that little experiment, she alternated between the two. Boys had their appeal, but girls gave her something extra.

Then she went to the Air Force Academy, and the cloak and dagger courtship that was required there. It was bad enough hooking up with fellow cadets when they were male, but the possibilities of a female partner were out of the question. That was her first experience with a dried-up dating pool, but it trained her well for life at the SGC.

Fortunately, her first year at the base, she discovered a little out-of-the-way bar just outside of Colorado Springs. She remembered her first conquest, the older woman in skintight blue jeans and a leather jacket. Sloppy blonde hair and a smile that made her knees weak. When Vanessa handed her the drink, the blonde smiled and said, "I'm old enough to be your mother." Vanessa had just shrugged and said, "I don't mind calling you Mama."

That night, she rode on the back of Mama's motorcycle, hands wrapped around the older woman's midsection until they slid up and inside her open leather jacket. They found a hotel on the highway, easier than admitting neither of them wanted to take the other home, and Vanessa went to bed with the first female lover in four years. She didn't know her new lover was military until her blouse came off and the silver dog tags fell against her chest. She ignored them; didn't want to know names. She just took off her own shirt and made sure the blonde saw her tags as well.  
They spent the night and most of the morning at the hotel. The blonde drove Vanessa back to her car and left her with a kiss and a hope that they would meet again.

Somehow, Vanessa never imagined what their next meeting would be. It took all of her willpower to keep posture when her team's off world training officer walked into the Gate Room. Those bright blue eyes didn't linger on her, they just passed by as she took in the entire team. She put on her cap and said, "Ready?"

"Yes, Colonel," Vanessa said, her voice mixing with the rest of her team.

"Let's get to it," Colonel Samantha Carter said before she led them up the ramp. Vanessa's mind was reeling from the fact she had spent the weekend fucking a superior officer that she barely noticed her first trip through the Stargate. She never saw Carter at the bar again after that night, and she felt responsible for taking away the woman's safe haven.

If she had thought the SGC barren, the Icarus Base was a whole different animal. Close quarters, a limited roster, and awkward schedules meant it was nearly impossible to have a rendezvous without at least four people seeing or hearing you. And then those four people would each tell four people, and so on until the entire base knew before you even had the condom out of the package. Her excitement over the rumor of an out lesbian being on-base dwindled with the words "committed relationship."

She did all right for herself at the base. A dalliance with an IOA representative's assistant, and a drunken night when she and two other lieutenants turned a game of strip poker into something a little more against regulations. Matthew Scott introduced her to the storage closet, claiming they were legendary at the SGC.

But even that, even scrounging for sexual scraps, was better than the _Destiny_. The ship was like a giant dorm room, except for the fact most people in dorm rooms had more than one change of clothes. In the time since arriving, she hadn't taken a single person of either gender to bed, which normally wouldn't have been such a stretch except for the fact that her Faithful Companion had been destroyed with the Icarus Base. With the planet blowing up around her and civilians running around brainlessly, a vibrator wasn't high on her list of necessary items. Besides, she had thought they were going back to Earth and its ample supply of sexual aids.

She was going to go crazy. She needed to talk to Eli, but privately. She needed to find a way to code her words so that he wouldn't know what she was talking about. Although, if it came to that, she might just throw Eli down on one of the benches and take her frustrations out on him. He would certainly welcome it, and it would be exactly what the doctor ordered. Scott had his little distraction, why couldn't she have one of her own? They'd been on the ship long enough that people were going to start pairing off sooner or later. She didn't want to get stuck with someone like... like...

She sobbed helplessly as she realized there was no one on board the ship she wouldn't consider mounting at this point. She covered her face with the pillow and screamed.

Finally, she pushed her hand into her underwear. If she had to resort to using her fingers, then--

Her door chime sounded and she tossed the pillow onto the floor. _This is a nightmare. A fucking nightmare._ She sat up and said, "Who is it?"

"It's TJ... Tamara."

Naturally, the one person she wouldn't send away even in her frustrated, irritated state of mind. She sighed and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She was only wearing her T-shirt and panties and anyone could walk by and see her. She opened the door and Tamara's smile wavered. "Oh. God, I'm sorry, you were in bed."

"It's fine," James said. "I need the distraction."

"Well. I just wanted to say thank you for your help in the infirmary. It's hard enough dealing with... you know. Everything. I was worried I would have to do it alone. It was a relief."

"I'm not a very good assistant. You had to keep telling me what to do and--"

"No, you did great. You were a huge help, and I just wanted to say thank you."

"You're welcome. My aunt was a doctor in a small town. House calls, the whole old-time-y town doctor sort of thing. Sometimes I would watch her work. I didn't pick much up, but it made me a lot less queasy."

Tamara grinned. "That's cool. Well, any time you want to lend a hand, believe me, I'll welcome it." She hesitated and tilted her head to the side. "And, um, thanks for going with me to talk to Eli about the showers."

Vanessa rolled her eyes. "That pressure is a joke. Like trying to bathe in a drizzle."

"I know!" Tamara said. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I wanted you there because... well. You know. A woman complaining about the _water pressure_ in a shower. I know what Eli would probably have thought if it was just coming from me."

Vanessa pictured Tamara in the shower with the detachable head aimed between her legs. It didn't help that she had actually seen Tamara in the showers, a towel wrapped around her wet torso as she combed her hair. It was all she could do not to whimper, and she bit the inside of her cheek. "Um, yeah. Well, you know. We girls have to stick together."

"Don't let Colonel Young hear you say that. He's had enough of alliances."

"We're both military," Vanessa said. "He'd probably be okay with that."

Tamara said, "Unless it was girls against boys."

Vanessa laughed. "That's the kind of alliance I could definitely get behind. Sign me up." She looked at Tamara for a moment before she dropped her gaze. "Well."

"Yeah, I'll let you get back to sleep. Thanks again." She stepped forward and kissed Vanessa on the cheek. Vanessa accepted the kiss and turned her head to return it. Her lips brushed Tamara's for just a moment before they both retreated. Tamara kept her expression frozen as she processed what the idle gesture meant. Vanessa was about to apologize when Tamara finally moved. Their lips met in a nearly chaste kiss, lips together and eyes open.

It was Vanessa who broke the kiss. She stepped into her room, trying hard not to breathe too heavily as she scanned the corridor on either side of her door. They had gotten lucky, but it wouldn't last forever. "You can still go if you want," Vanessa said.

Tamara was still a bit slack-jawed from the kiss, but she didn't hesitate. She stepped into the room and let it close with a quiet 'hush' behind her. She put her hands on Vanessa's hips and guided her to the wall as they kissed again. Tamara was the first to part her lips, and Vanessa eagerly followed suit and thrust her tongue into Tamara's mouth. Vanessa moaned and Tamara chuckled quietly as she grabbed the sheet and pulled it away from Vanessa's body.

When the sheet dropped, Vanessa felt her confidence swell. She moved her hands from Tamara's shoulders, down her arms to the hem of her blouse. Tamara leaned back and let Vanessa pull the shirt over her head, and Vanessa immediately lowered her head to kiss Tamara's chest. They were both gasping as they moved across the room toward the bed, Tamara pulling Vanessa's head back up for another kiss.

"God, it's about time," Vanessa gasped when the kiss broke.

"How long?" Tamara asked, her voice rough as she ran her hands down the front of Vanessa's tank top.

"The night Icarus was attacked."

Tamara said, "Didn't you masturbate?"

Vanessa moaned as Tamara kissed her again. She sucked Tamara's tongue, her hands roaming Vanessa's chest. "Didn't have the tools."

Tamara lifted one hand and wiggled her fingers. Vanessa brought it to her mouth and kissed the palm, sliding her tongue up to take the tips of each finger into her mouth and suck them gently. When she let the last finger slide over her bottom lip, she said, "I don't like using fingers. Not my own, anyway."

Tamara smiled. She pressed herself against Vanessa and lowered her to the bed. Vanessa spread her legs and pulled Tamara down on top of her, between her legs, Tamara's lips finding hers again. Vanessa traced Tamara's spine with the tips of two fingers, making Tamara tremble and moan into their kiss before Vanessa found the catch of her bra.

As Tamara sat up to let the material fall down her arms, Vanessa was struck by the fact that they were actually doing this, actually about to have sex. She wondered how many people would be gossiping about them tomorrow, how many people would be whispering if they happened to sit together at lunch in the morning. She ran her eyes over Tamara's body, her bare breasts with the small, dark nipples that seemed to be aching for her tongue, and she didn't give a damn if anyone said anything.

She sat up and pressed her tongue against the inside curve of Tamara's right breast, up to the hollow of her throat. She sucked gently, careful not to leave a hickey - there was not caring and then there was just recklessness - as she cupped Tamara's ass with both hands. She squeezed and Tamara rocked against her, her hands running through Vanessa's hair. Vanessa tilted her head back and Tamara kissed her, finally tugging at Vanessa's T-shirt.

"Get this off," Tamara said breathlessly.

Vanessa crossed her arms to grab the hem and peeled the shirt off. Vanessa closed her eyes as Tamara's hands moved down her body, cupping her breasts and squeezing before they traveled back up to her shoulders. Vanessa let herself be pushed down onto the bed, parting her lips just as Tamara kissed her again. Tamara's lips were soft, her tongue gentle but insistent as her hand moved lower and cupped Vanessa through her underwear.

Their kiss intensified as Tamara moved her hand, using two fingers against Vanessa. She broke the kiss and said, "Oh, right. You don't like using fingers..."

"I don't like using _my_ fingers," Vanessa clarified. Her eyes were closed, her hips rising to meet Tamara's hand. "You can keep going. Keep going, keep going."

Tamara grinned and kissed Vanessa's chin, moving down to her neck. She pushed Vanessa's underwear aside as she kissed the swell of her breast, parting her lips to sweep her tongue over the hard nipple. The frustration that had been building since her arrival on the _Destiny_ washed over her and Vanessa trembled, her climax approaching far too quickly. Tamara was relentless, moving her fingers in faster circles, dipping two inside before quickly retreating. The tease worked, and Vanessa arched her back when she came.

Tamara rested her head on Vanessa's chest, withdrawing her hand and wiping the wet fingers over the material of Vanessa's underwear. When she was capable of speech, Vanessa whispered, "Wow. That was definitely what the doctor ordered." Tamara grunted. "Sorry. You've probably heard that one a thousand times."

"It's fine." She lifted her head and kissed Vanessa. Vanessa slipped her hand down Tamara's body, down to the catch of her trousers. "Think Eli's fixed the showers yet?"

"No," Tamara said. "I checked before I came here."

Vanessa said, "Mm, poor baby." She flipped Tamara, pinning her to the mattress as she unfastened her trousers. Tamara chuckled and put her hands behind her head, watching as her uniform pants were dragged down with her underwear. The pants snagged on her boots, but Vanessa didn't want to take the time to deal with the impenetrable knots and laces so she left them there. Tamara bent her knees and put her feet up on the edge of the bed. Vanessa put her hands on the inside of Tamara's thighs and pushed them apart, looking up to meet Tamara's eye as she licked her lips and bowed her head.

Tamara's body jerked at the touch of Vanessa's tongue. A gentle touch at first, then long strokes with increasing confidence. It had been a while, a really damned long time, and she fell back into it like a drunk getting a taste of whiskey. She closed her eyes as she found Tamara's clit with the tip of her tongue. She sucked her thumb and used it to rub the hooded bud in slow circles, dropping her tongue back down to Tamara's labia. Tamara was moving her lower body, her hands clutching the sheets as she pressed herself harder against Vanessa's tongue.

Vanessa massaged Tamara's thighs as she gently extended her tongue, curling it before she withdrew. She looked past the plain of Tamara's stomach and her breasts, watching as Tamara's face twisted and contorted with passion. Vanessa grinned and moved in for the kill, using two knuckles on Tamara's clit as she thrust her tongue deep inside.

Tamara clapped a hand over her mouth, all too aware of the thin walls and wandering Kinos, as she climaxed. Vanessa placed wet kisses on Tamara's stomach and her breasts, pausing to suck the tight nipples before finding Tamara's lips again. She wondered what Tamara's lips would feel like between her legs, what the tongue teasing hers would feel like deep inside, and she smiled at the realization she would likely find out before too long.

Afterward, they lay side by side on Vanessa's bed. Neither of them bothered to dress; Tamara had untied her boots and dropped them with her pants so she could sprawl more comfortably. Vanessa was surprised when Tamara's hand found hers on the blanket, but she turned it over and let Tamara hold it while they stared at the ceiling.

"Needed that," Vanessa finally managed to whisper.

Tamara chuckled. "I could tell. I needed it, too."

Vanessa turned her head and kissed Tamara's shoulder. "I don't want this to sound like a kiss-off, but if Colonel Young needs you--"

"He'll expect me in my quarters," Tamara said. She nodded and rolled onto her side to face Vanessa. Her eyes wandered down to the pair of dog tags resting against one of Vanessa's full breasts, down to the dark hair between her legs. "It's not a kiss-off if I promise to come back tomorrow, right?"

"Mm, debatable."

Tamara grinned and kissed Vanessa's lips. When they parted, she said, "I'll meet you here tomorrow morning. We'll go check out the showers together and see if Eli's fixed the pressure."

"And if he hasn't?"

Tamara raised an eyebrow. "We'll improvise."

Vanessa shuddered involuntarily.

Tamara slid out of bed, and Vanessa rolled onto her back to watch her dress. She pulled on the tank top, adjusted her tags, and went into the small bathroom to fix her hair. When she returned, she was once again the prim and proper soldier. Vanessa remained sprawled on the bed, and she was gratified when Tamara's eyes lingered on her body before she gestured for the door. "I should go."

Vanessa gathered the sheet and wrapped it around her body. She sat up and said, "Next time you need a hand in the infirmary, if I'm available, you know where to find me."

Tamara said, "Thank you. And the next time you need... a different hand..." She winked and bit her bottom lip. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant."

"Pleasant dreams, Lieutenant."

Tamara gave one final, lingering look over her shoulder before she opened the door and went out into the hallway.

Vanessa moved up to the head of the bed, the sheet wrapped around her, and looked at the lights washing over the window. Glass? Polymer? She didn't care and didn't plan to lose any sleep over it. She grinned and looked up at the ceiling.

Since leaving home, her possibilities for romance had diminished with each new posting. But sometimes, maybe, a lack of options just made it easier to find the right person. She decided not to get dressed and pulled the blankets over her as she settled in for the night. She was still covered with sweat, both hers and Tamara's, and she intended to fall asleep with the sent still lingering in her mind.


End file.
